On the Boiling Isles, there was no place that all Wild Witches feared more than The Emperor's Castle.
As the flags bearing the sign of the Emperor's Coven flew over the structure, a group of Wild Witches was being brought across the drawbridge on a paddy wagon. Following their discovery, the most recently defeated rebel group had engaged the Emperor's Coven in battle but were no match for their overwhelming force. Now, they looked resigned to their fate. Knowing that they were never going to see their friends and families again. A terrible fate for only doing what they believed was right.
As fire exploded out of the castle's chimney, Lilith watched the procession from atop the castle walls, then turned and headed inside. She felt nothing for them. They chose to defy the Emperor's teachings and practice wild magic.
"All Wild Witches deserve what's coming to them," she said as she walked down the hallway.
"Does that include our sister?" Lilith's eyes widened when she heard a young girl's voice. Turning around, she saw her younger self's reflection in a mirror on the wall. Looking at her with her naturally fluffy and orangish-red hair.
"I don't know why someone decided to place a mirror there, but I promise I'm going to make sure they take it down," she said, turning away from her reflection.
"Just like how you promise never to hurt your sister?" said her younger self. "And what about the Seventh Son? You know hurting him will make her even more angry."
"...I don't want to talk to you anymore," Lilith said, walking away. "Whatever you are."
A moment later, Lilith approached a stained glass window of Emperor Belos, robbing witches bowing at his feet while a Hand of the Titan reached for the sun behind them.
Belos wasn't just the ruler of the Boiling Isles for no reason. He was the most powerful and benevolent of all witches, who saved them from the corruption of wild magic. But most of all, he was her only hope for a cure for Edalyn. What would it cost? Her sister was to be brought to him, along with the son of a man she once loved. For what purpose? Lilith didn't know, and she didn't care. All that mattered to her was taking back her sister and righting the wrongs she'd done.
Lilith said to the Belos of the stained glass, "I haven't forgotten what you've promised me. I will bring you my sister and the boy, Emperor Belos."
"Then why the delay?" said a voice.
Lilith turned around in surprise. "Kikimora!"
Despite most of her face being hidden, the little witch looked at the Clawthrone sister with superiority. "The Day of Unity is fast approaching, and other teams have bound many rogue witches to covens, yet the Owl Lady and the Seventh Son still roam free," Kikimora said. "Are you... protecting them?"
Lilith scoffed and said, "Rest assured, Kiki. I have everything under control." She snapped her fingers, and guards approached out of nowhere upon command. Surprising Kikimora. "I've been waiting years for this moment, and I will not allow anything or anyone to take this moment away from me. Today, we capture Eda and Booker, once and for all."
{Play music: Into the Badlands theme}
As the portal gate opens, the camera zooms in on it.
Booker and Luz are seen in the sky. They open their eyes only to realize they are falling, which causes them to freak out before something zooms past them and catches them. Booker and Luz open their eyes, with Luz behind her friend and holding his arm while Booker holds onto the staff to stay on. The two kids see they are saved by Eda, who smirks at the duo as they fly to her house on her Palisman staff.
The door where Hooty was opened up as Luz and Booker stepped outside, with Luz twirling and posing with Eda's staff while Booker drew his Dragon's Bite sword he got recently and did his own pose. But then Eda took her staff back with an amused grin while Luz gave a sheepish smile, and Booker looked amused. King popped up in front of them in a pose.
A Boiling Isle mural is seen as Gus, Willow, and Amity are seen briefly before it burns away to show King commanding an army of stuffed toys, which all fall on him. The scene burned away again, showing Booker standing under a spotlight with grief written on his face as the fire was seen all around him. Silhouettes appear as they take the shape of a man with pointed ears, a human woman, and six children with slightly pointy ears. The fire consumed them.
Now Booker and Luz were on Eda's staff, with Luz riding up front like she was driving and Booker standing behind like he was surfing on a surfboard. They zoom down the Boiling Isles, past many friends and foes alike, until Eda and King join in on the ride... then they hang on for dear life as a massive, monstrous worm-like monster, mouth wide open, lunges at them. Everyone, minus Booker, screamed in horror. The latter looked brave and defiant towards the beast, and he pointed his sword towards it.
Then the scene changes back to the Owl House, where it's nighttime, and stars twinkle in the sky as the four are on the roof and looking up into the sky. Luz opens her hands to reveal a ball of light as Booker's hands glow, and a glyph-like symbol appears on the back of his hands.
He grinned and slammed his hands together, causing light magic to burst from his hands. That's when the title appeared.
The Seventh Son
Chapter Sixteen:
Agony of the Witch
Lilith was putting her plan into action. Taking her men, she marched towards the Owl House, where Hooty was fast asleep. Snoring and saying 'hoot' in his sleep.
Hiding in the bushes a short distance away from the house, Lilith smirked as she left up the mask on her face. "Good. That infernal house demon is asleep," she said. Her scouts popped out of the bushes behind her. The head of the Emperor's Coven turned around and beckoned at the scouts as they ready their weapons. "Surround the house!"
The scouts go off in different directions.
At the same time, the door to the house opened, and Booker stepped out with a tired look on his face and a cup of coffee in his hand. Wearing his school uniform, the young hybrid scratched his ass and reached down to grab the newspaper on the porch.
However, Hooty started slowly moving out of the house. "Sleepwalking... sleepwalking," he moaned sleepily, moving past Booker as the Seventh Son looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Hooty?"
Suddenly, Hooty woke up. "Sleep-hooting!" He yelled, startling Booker. Then, the house demon slammed his face into the ground. Underground, he rapidly dug a tunnel, making the earth shake before he popped up behind Lilith, taking the witch by surprise. "Hiya, Lilith! Peek-a-hoot!"
Booker watched as the house demon smashed Lilith into a tree. "Lilith?! Hooty, get away from her!" Booker yelled as he held his hand out toward the inside of the house. From the stairs, Dragon's Bite came flying into his hand. With his sword in hand, Booker charged to save Hooty.
Lilith grunted as she lifted herself on her hands. Opening one eye, she gasped when she saw Booker charging at her. "Seize him!" she yelled, pointing at the target.
The guards jumped out of their hiding spots and charged at the Seventh Son, shouting battle cries and welding their weapons.
Booker yelled as he charged at the guards but was stopped when Hooty moved to block his path. "Sorry! Eda doesn't like trespassers, but I'm always here to make new friends," he said, bolting toward the guards at lightning-fast speed as Booker looked at him in shock. "Hoot!"
The Seventh Son watched in amazement as Hooty, the same demon who was as dumb as a bag of rocks and creeped out everyone he encountered, bonked one guard on the head and put his head into their armor from behind its hood. "Oh! Look at me! I'm a person now. Wobbly, wobbly! Ooh, blackout!" Controlling the guard, Hooty punched another guard in the face. The house demon then threw the guard armor away. "Hoot hoot! Bye, friend!"
"Holy shit, Hooty can fight!" Booker exclaimed with a big grin. He saw two guards charging at him, throwing their magic nets at him. Booker cut the nets with his sword, making them disappear with a puff of smoke. "Let's dance!"
He jumped and kicked one of the guards in the face. Turning to the other guard, he slashed his sword at him, conjuring a jet stream of water that wiped the witch away.
"Ooh! I love dancing!" Hooty happily exclaimed as he shook his body around, hitting a few guards. "Hoot!"
Lilith grunted as she lifted herself back up. When opening her eyes, the Head of the Emperor's Coven gasped when she saw the Seventh Son fighting alongside Hooty. Beating up her guards with the use of his magic and sword. However, unlike Warden Wrath, Booker did not kill them. Instead, he ensured they were still alive but would not leave the area without reminders of what happened when they messed with him, mainly in the form of bloody slashes and hitting them with his magic.
Seeing an opportunity to catch her target, Lilith grabbed her staff and stood up. Hooty was bobbing in front of a tree when Lilith took aim and fired a blast of magic with the intent of killing the demon.
"I did it!" Hooty yelled, bending down and dodging Lilith's spell. "Oh hey! Look, it's a bug!"
The spell nearly took Booker's head off before he saw it coming at him. He quickly ducked his head before the magic sliced through the tree, which fell toward Lilith.
The witch's eyes widened before she jumped out of the way, barely avoiding the tree collapsing on top of her.
Booker panted momentarily after fighting off the guards and dodged Lilith's attack. "Aww! Just an old leaf! Well, that's good too," Hooty said, eating the leaf and making loud chewing noises.
Chuckling at the goofy house demon, Booker turned his attention back to Lilith. Holding Dragon's Bite tightly, the Seventh Son walked over to her. Lilith grunted as she tried to push herself away from the young man. "How many times are you going to do this, Lilith?" Booker asked the woman as she tried to lift up her staff. Booker, however, swiped away the Palisman with his sword, knocking it out of her hand and then pointing the blade's tip at Lilith's neck. "While I am grateful that you spared my aunt and uncle's life, I will not forgive you for continuing to follow the Emperor."
"Booker, don't you get it? Emperor Belos can cure Edalyn," Lilith said, trying to plead with the Seventh Son.
"Yeah, Eda told me all about it, but I'm not buying it. Not after, oh, I don't know, he murdered my entire family!" Booker yelled at Lilith, making her flinch a bit a look away. "So you're going to send him a message for me. Stay away from me. Understand? I'm not going to play his little game, and I'm not going to be used for whatever sick experiment that he intends to use with me. And if he tries to come after me, I will put him in the ground."
Lilith scoffed and laughed. "Hahaha! You can't possibly think you can take on Belos."
"Well, I am the Seventh Son, sooooooo…" Booker grinned and lifted his foot. "Yeah, I do."
POW!
With a swift kick to the face, Lilith was out cold.
Booker let out a sigh as he looked at the witch with contempt. "How you can be Eda's sister is beyond me," he said in a bitter voice. Sheathing his sword, Booker turned around and started walking back toward the house. "Clean up this mess, Hooty."
"Okay!"
Entering inside the Owl House, Booker stretched his arms over his head and yawned. Eda was in the living room, wearing a yellow scarf, having watched him and Hooty fighting the guards through her binoculars. She was now using her magic to stir a cauldron brewing on the table.
"Oh man, nothing like beating up the Emperor's lackeys in the morning to get the blood flowing," Booker said, closing the door and turning to his aunt. "Did you know that Hooty could fight?"
Eda chuckled. "Why do you think I keep him around?" She asked, looking back at Hooty through the window. "Ah, that Hooty is a thorn in my side, but he always digs his way into my heart."
She then heard her crow-phone cawing. Walking over, Eda picked it up and placed it to her ear. "Hello? ...Oh hey, York! What's up, Brainy Bridges?" She listened and gained a look of disbelief. "You're sure?... Okay, what do you want me to do?… Alright, I'll tell him. Thanks for letting me know. ...Uh huh, bye."
She hung up the crow as Luz came in, wearing her uniform. "Was that Uncle York?" Booker asked.
"Yeah, it was, and good news, Booker, you get to stay at the school for alternative studies today!" Eda exclaimed, spreading her arms.
"Alternative studies?" Booker asked, looking at Luz, who shrugged her shoulders. "What's what?"
"It's for kids that don't want to go on a field trip. They're basically left at the school to do whatever they want until Bump gets back," Eda said, twirling her finger.
"Aw, what? How come?" Booker complained.
"Because Hexside is going on a school trip," Eda answers.
"Well, that doesn't sound bad," Luz said with a smile.
"To Emperor Belos' castle."
"Ooooh..." Luz cringed.
"Yeah, so York wants all the Bridges kids to stay back at the school, including you, Booker," Eda said, pointing to the Seventh Son.
"I'm not afraid of him," Booker said with confidence. "I'm the Seventh Son, remember?"
"And neither am I, but we can't risk him getting to you," Eda told him.
"But—"
"No buts. Except yours, staying at the school."
Booker groaned from this. Luz patted him on the shoulder until the cute young Dominican girl saw the cauldron. Walking over to it, she quickly became intrigued by the glowing purple yarn that was being cooked up in it.
"Ooh, magic 'sghetti," Luz said before trying to touch it.
Eda turned around just in time to see her. "Hey!" The Owl Lady used her magic to slap Luz's hand with the spoon. "That 'sghetti is Witch's Wool. It repels powerful spells," Eda said, dipping the spoon into the wool and pulling up some. "Every witch worth their salt has a cloak made from this stuff."
"Really? Is that what the cloaks my family are made from?" Booker said, his eyes widening with wonder.
"Oh yeah. Everyone in your family had their own cloaks," Eda said before a bitter expression crossed her face. "The last time I heard, Belos had taken a few of them as trophies."
Booker formed a glare as he thought about the Emperor having what belonged to his family as trophies for slaughtering them. Luz, on the other hand, stared at the wool adoringly.
"I'm worth salt... I want a cloak!" Luz tried to grab the cauldron, but Booker grabbed her and pulled her to the side.
"Geez, Luz. Didn't Camila tell you to keep your hands to yourself," he said.
"But it's shiny!" Luz whined.
"Easy, kid! With the Emperor's goons at my doorstep, I need this for protection," she said to the two kids. "And as much as I hate to say it, with Booker here, they've really stepped up their attacks lately."
Booker looked down in frustration and shame. Because of him, Belos would be coming after Eda in greater numbers to get him. "All this violence…" he muttered. "What if I were to go stay somewhere else?"
"No way are you doing that," Eda said with a stern yet gentle smile as she walked over to the young boy and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Booker, I promised you that I wouldn't let anything happen to you, and as my cute little hybrid, I don't intend on kicking you out of my house."
Eda pinched his cheek, making Booker groan in embarrassment as Luz giggled. The Seventh Son pushed her hand away and said, "But Belos wants me. You and Luz will be in danger."
"Ah, don't beat yourself up over it," Eda said, standing up and turning her head with a scowl. "Besides, Belos has been on my ass for decades."
Booker looked confused. "Really? How come?"
"I think I know why the Emperor wants Eda so badly," Luz said, staring intensely at Eda. Then, she did a complete 180 and pointed at her teacher jokingly. "He's got the hots for you, doesn't he~?"
Booker thought of it for a moment. "A villain that is simping for a foxy witch?" He quipped.
Eda shot finger guns and clicked her tongue at her apprentices. "Uh, but no. Emperor Belos wants to control all wild magic through his coven system. He ordered my capture years ago because I refuse to fall in line," Eda said, pointing to Booker. "I can imagine Belos wants you because you're the ultimate form of wild magic, Booker. It would inspire others to ditch the system if you are still walking around, using your magic. He'd likely want to destroy you to put down any idea of rebellion."
"And he won't stop until he's got both of us…" Booker said, drooping his head. Powerful as Eda was, she was still human...witch.
"Awww, don't sound so worried. I'm a master escape artist. The only thing that can slow me down is my curse, which hasn't bothered me for weeks!" Eda said, throwing her arms in the air.
Suddenly, black feathers popped out of Eda's arms, armpits, and hair.
"Oh fuck me," she said.
Booker and Luz watched in horror as their master transformed into the Owl Beast. "Oh damn, KING!" Booker shouted, stepping in front of Luz to protect her.
"Eh? What's going on-" He said, poking his head in, a nightcap on his head, before he noticed Eda's monster form. "AAH!"
"Elixir! Now!" Booker shouted, clapping his hands together. Casting the power spell on himself.
"RAAAH!" Eda roared as she rushed at Booker, causing the Seventh Son to grab her by the face. Standing his ground against his out-of-control aunt, the hybrid dug his feet into the floor and pushed back against her. The only reason why Booker wasn't thrown in the kitchen right now was because of his powers.
"Luz, help King!" Booker yelled.
"Right!" Luz turned and rushed up the stairs. Leaving the Seventh Son alone with the monster Eda had become.
"Eda! Eda, you have to listen! I don't want to hurt you, but you're giving me no choice!" Booker said, pushing back with every step. "Come on, don't you remember that time you thought I was an egg?!" He was referring to when the beast placed him in her nest and laid on him like a mother hen.
The Owl Beast pushed forward, fighting the Seventh Son's immense power as Booker held back, trying not to hurt her. But that mattered little to the beast as she growled at the hybrid! They remained in this stalemate until Luz and King came running down the stairs with a bottle of curse-fighting elixir in hand!
"Booker, I got it!" Luz said, holding it up!
"Throw it!" Booker yelled, pushing Eda's chin up and holding his hand out to his crush. "Now!"
With a grunt, Luz threw the potion to Booker. The young boy caught it before punching it into Eda's mouth, forcing her to drink it. "Time to wake up, Eda!" Booker said, pushing Eda away.
The three of them watched as the Owl Beast stood still, juggling the bottle in its mouth before spitting it out. It landed at Booker's feet, empty. Thinking they'd won, Booker, Luz, and King smiled at one another.
However, those hopes were dashed away when the Owl Beast turned back to Booker and growled, showing its sharp teeth!
"What?!" Booker asked in shock. "Why didn't it work?!"
The Owl Beast raised its head and roared.
Eda gasped as she opened her eyes, now standing in a void. Just like Booker's nightmares always brought him back to the night his family died, her nightmares brought her back to the night her misery in the real world began. Her childhood bedroom materialized out of the gloom. Her younger self was still sleeping. The sight of her made Eda sigh sadly.
Then, like clockwork, the door opened behind her, revealing the indistinct shadowy figure. The same figure that cursed her all those years ago.
"You know, I'm getting a little tired of this bullshit," Eda said and approached the shadow, trying to grab it. "So, why don't you just show me your face? Who are you? Why did you do this to me?!"
"Eda!"
In the real world, Eda opened her eyes, having been brought back to normal. The Owl Lady was now holding Luz's face as the girl held an empty bottle of elixir to Eda's mouth. Beside her, Booker held Dragon's Bite at her while multiple vines were strewn about, having been used to hold down the Owl Beast.
"Mm?" Eda let Luz's face go and took the bottle out of her mouth. "Whoa, why am I at bladeppoint?"
"You turned into the owl beast and attacked us," Booker said, lowering his family sword.
"…Oh….Well, phew, thanks for that, kids," Eda said, pulling herself out of the vines before noticing them and another troubling sight on the floor.
In the struggle to hold Eda down and get her back to normal, Booker, Luz, and King used a total of 13 bottles.
"Oh! And...for those, too," Eda said as her scarf came undone, revealing that her gem was still half black.
"Hang on, your gem is still half dark!" Booker said, pointing to the gem.
"Uh…" Eda quickly pulled her scarf back on to cover her gem. "No, it's not! You're nuts!"
Booker, however, grabbed her hand and pulled it away from her gem. "Don't lie to me, Eda. I saw it myself and how you didn't change back after one elixir! Your curse is getting worse. You've been trying to hide it, haven't you?!" Booker asked as he looked at his aunt with a mixture of upset and worry for his loved one.
The look on his face broke the witch's resolve. Eda sadly looked at the boy she saw as a son as Booker let go of her hand. She grabbed his chin and tilted his head up so he was looking at her. "Ugh... you're right. It's taking more elixir to turn me back and more magic to keep the curse from rearing its feathery head."
"And what happens if you can't keep it back? Like if your magic runs out?" Booker asked in her frustration.
Luz gasped in horror as she covered her mouth. "Do you... do you die?"
Booker looked at Luz, and she genuinely looked sad. "Luz, don't say that." He wrapped his arm around her figure and pulled her close to him and Eda. "I mean, this is the same woman that survived getting her head chopped off… but maybe this will be the finishing blow…"
Eda karate chopped both their heads. "No! Jeez, you kids today are morbid. I just kind of… sort of…turn into the Owl Beast... forever… Ahhh, it's a fate much worse than death if you think about it," Eda said, laughing sarcastically.
"Eda, this is not a joke!" Booker said as his eyes started to water a bit. "I-I can't use you! I'll find a cure, and then—"
"Hey, don't worry," Eda said as she placed a hand on Booker's shoulder and pointed to herself. "I just gotta limit my magic a bit, that's all. Now come on, where's that smile that makes my day?"
Neither Booker nor Luz felt like smiling. The Seventh Son looked away from Eda, hating how she treated this so casually. This made Eda groan as she felt some guilt building up.
"Alright, fine. I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better, we can talk about this more after school, okay?" Eda asked.
Booker and Luz looked at her. "You promise?" Luz asked her.
"I promise. Witch's honor," Eda said with a hand in her gem. "Now, go on. Do the parallel arm thing…"
Booker and Luz immediately wrapped their arms around her, hugging Eda tightly. "You better keep that promise," Booker said as he buried his face into the witch that had become like a mother to him.
Then, out of nowhere, King wrapped his arms around her leg. "King demands huggies, too!"
"Okay!" Eda said in a strained voice. With all of her kids hugging her, she walked in a strained manner. "It's... time... for... school!"
A few moments later, Booker and Luz walked out of the Owl House with their book bags. Eda followed them outside and said, "Have a good day!"
"I love ya, Aunty Eda!" Booker said.
"Get rest!" Luz said over her shoulder, walking beside her friend.
Booker turned around and walked backward as he said, "Drink lots of water!"
Luz did the same and said, "Stay out of the sun!"
"Lift with your knees, not your—"
Eda slammed the door before Booker could finish. Eda sighed as she thought about the kids that had come to be in her care. "Ah, what good kids! So considerate. They deserve something nice," she said, picking up the cauldron of witch's wool. "And I think I know what to give Luz!"
As for Booker, there was something else Eda had in mind. Placing down the cauldron, the Owl Lady reached between the couch cushions and pulled out the adoption paperwork. Everything was written down and ready for submission. Eda was now prepared to bring Booker into her family.
It was bizarre for the Owl Lady to have a child. After breaking up with Malcolm, she gives up all hope of having kids. Even her brief romance with other witches, including an old friend of hers, Raine, did not last. And now, years later, after Malcolm's death, Eda found herself becoming the motherly figure of his son. A position that she never thought she'd ever be in, yet one she did not turn away from.
In the months since she's taken him under her wing, Eda's grown so much closer to Booker. Teaching him all she knew, comforting him after his nightmares, and laughing whenever he tried to cheer her up. Eda was beyond honored to be an unofficial aunt to Booker, yet the growing dangers of Belos and herself fueled her desire to protect him. Perhaps that was the reason why she finally decided to adopt him.
Whatever the reason was, Eda loved Booker like the son she never had and wanted him as part of her family. And when Booker and Luz come back home from school, they'll be in for a special surprise.
"Hey, King! We're going to plan a party!" Eda called out to the little demon, who jumped into the room and threw his arms up.
"In my honor?!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"No."
"Barnacles!"
With Luz by his side, Booker walked with her to school with his hands in his pockets, thinking of anything that could help Eda. The witch had been like a mother/aunt to the Seventh Son, and seeing her in so much pain was difficult for Booker to do nothing about. Maybe he could go to the library for an ancient healing spell? Or maybe talk to Eda's potions guy for something stronger? The more Booker brainstormed, the more he was distracted and fell behind his first crush.
"Booker, catch up." The Seventh Son looked up and saw Luz smile at him, standing a few meters away. Booker smiled back and made it next to her side. "You alright?"
"I don't know Luz… I'm really worried about Eda," Booker said, pulling out his beanie hair and putting it on his head. Then he took out his color-changing contacts and placed them in his eyes.
"I know, enemies everywhere, even her own body. There has to be some way we can help her," Luz said, looking very worried.
"How? It's not like there's…" Booker trailed off when a distant scream grabbed his and Luz's attention. "What the hell is that?"
Looking towards a blue bush, Booker and Luz peeked through the vegetation to see Hooty, wrapped around beaten-up Emperor's Coven guards, having...a tea party?
"The roughhousing was nice, but my favorite part of our playdates is tea time afterward," Hooty said, holding a pot of tea with his snake-like body and pouring it. The tea just spilled on the ground as one of the five wounded members tried to crawl away, but Hooty wouldn't let him.
This sight made both best friends slowly move away from the bush, disturbed by Hooty's play date. "Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope!" They chanted together as they ran as fast as they could, a bit scared from the new information the two had learned about the house demon.
Meanwhile, Lilith was able to get away from Hooty before he could catch the witch. With her clothes covered in mud, the woman crawled her way to a flowing river and began washing her face with the water.
"Grrrr!" Lilith growled in frustration as she bashed the water with her fists. "Blasted child! Defying the Emperor…what right does he have to keep me from curing my sister?!"
"Why should he let you?" Lilith growled in frustration as she looked down at the water. What should have been her reflection was instead the younger version of herself staring back at her. She looked at her older self in disappointment and disgust. The hallucinations then said, "After all, you were the one who hurt her."
Lilith burst out laughing in hysterics as she grabbed her face. "Oh, Titan. I'm losing my mind," she said.
"Maybe you are, or maybe you're just talking to a reflection of your consciousness. After all your actions, it's not a surprise your suppressed guilt has manifested into this."
Lilith scoffed. "What guilt? What do I have to feel guilty of?"
"We both know what the answer to that is. You talk about curing your sister when you were—"
"Shut up!" Lilith screamed at her younger self. "You and I both know what we had to do—why we did it. What's the point of bringing it back up? She lost, and we won!"
"But did we have to hurt her so much?"
Lilith had no way of arguing back at her guilt. Sighing in misery, she sat on her knees and covered her face. Slashing more water on her face until, she could no longer see her hallucination.
The Head of the Emperor's Coven remained alone in the forest in silence until she heard her compact mirror ringing. She pulled the mirror out of her pocket and opened it. Scolding at the sight of Kikimora on the screen.
"The Emperor demands your presence in the throne room."
Lilith groaned, having dreaded this moment to come. "I'm on my way," she said, closing the compact mirror.
When Booker and Luz arrived at Hexside, they found Principal Bump and various students lined up, ready to board a flying ship. Among the students were their friends, Amity, Willow, and Gus. Wanting to see them off, Booker and Luz walked up to the trio.
Gus was the first to see the pair coming and waved to them. "Booker, Luz, you ready for the field trip of a lifetime to the one, the only, Emperor's Castle!" He asked excitedly, holding up a pamphlet of the castle. This, however, got him a swift hit to the back of his head, courtesy of Amity's elbow. "Ow! What was that for?!"
"How could you ask something so insensitive," she angrily asked the small boy. "Especially what he did to Booker's family and put a bounty on his head?"
"Wait, what did Emperor Belos do to your family?" Willow looked at Booker with a concerned look on her face. Booker doesn't blame her for not knowing, as she is knocked out when Booker explains the murderous Emperor's actions to Amity and the friends he has made in detention.
"It's a long story," Booker looked down with a scowl as his crushes looked at him with concern. "And even if I want to come, it's not my choice. All the Bridges are staying at the school."
"Which sucks ass so much!" Yelled his cousin Felix as he and the other Bridges kids, including Skara, walked over to them. "Do you have any idea how many things we could have vandalized?!"
Skara looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "That's what you were going to do?"
"What? Roswell did it last year when he was in our grade," Felix gestured to the bunny-eared boy.
"It's true," said the young man.
"Sorry, guys," Booker said, shrugging his shoulders. "At least we can have fun together in the school?"
Amity turned to Luz and asked, "What about you, Luz? Are you going?"
"No. I was actually gonna stay behind," the Dominican girl said, surprising the others. "I don't like the way they treat Eda or Booker."
"I can stay too!" Amity said with a hopeful smile. But both of them blushed at how close they were. "Uh, I mean… if I wasn't already going. B-B-Besides, you wouldn't like to come. Who wants to go to a boring old castle? What's there even to see?"
"I can answer that!" Gus said, popping up between the two in-love kids and opening the book he had. "You're gonna miss out on all the cool stuff they have there."
Luz raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
Willow pointed to one of the items. "Like ancient relics! Look, it's the Plant Coven's Green Thumb Gauntlet! It can grow whatever you imagine," she said, as the book showed a picture of regular trees captioned "BEFORE." Next to it was the "AFTER" section, where the treetops now act as heads, and they all have arms and abs, with one cradling an owl's nest.
"Eh," Booker said.
"And the Oracle Sphere!" Gus pointed to a white sphere with a two-headed snake on it. "It shows you which path will help you become your best self!"
"And that's why you guys want to go to the castle of a tyrant king? 'to see this crap…" Booker trailed off when he saw something in the book that caught his attention. "Wait…gimme that!"
"Hey!" Gus complained as Booker took the pamphlet from his grasp and looked at another item. This one was a typical wizard-style hat with a primary color scheme of royal blue, with a golden band wrapped around the cone-shaped part of the hat. It had a hand peeking out of the side of the hat, which was meant to represent the logo for the Healing Coven.
"'The Healing Hat. Made from the magic of the Savage Ages and once belonging to the traitorous House of Bridges. It is said to cure the deadliest diseases... and heal any curse'?" Booker's eyes widened as he looked at Luz, who had a hopeful smile on her face.
"Yeah, but luckily, it wouldn't work for Belos and his goons," Roswell said, crossing his arms and looking at the page. "Only a Bridges can use that hat, much like how only a Bridges could call upon Dragon's Bite."
Booker's eyes widened again as he looked back to the pamphlet and stared at the Healing Hat's picture. This was it! This was the answer he and Luz had been looking for. If what they said was true, then the hat could be the one—probably the ONLY thing that could cure Eda.
"Yeah, too bad you can't come," Willow said, assuming Booker was amazed and wanted to go on the trip to see the hat by the way he was staring at it.
"All aboard, students!" Bump called out, making everyone going on the trip rush to the bus beast.
"Bye, guys," Amity said to Booker and Luz as she walked to get in line.
Booker, however, looked over the information one last time, and a determined, firm look donned his features. This was caught not only by Luz but also by the rest of his family.
"Whoa, Booker, I know that look," Jason said cautiously.
"Then you know that you can't stop me," Booker said, closing the pamphlet and putting in his eye color-changing contacts.
"Booker, reconsider, please!" Roswell said with great anxiety and concern. "You are going to be walking into the jaws of the enemy. If Belos finds out you're there, he'll kill you!
"I know the risks are high," he said, tugging on Dragon's Bite strapped to keep it tight to his back. "But that hat could be the only thing that can cure Eda. I can't let it slip away."
Skara asked, "But how are you gonna get on the bus? Bump isn't going to let you go." At the same time, Warrick, Emira, and Edric walked over to the group. Warrick and Emira, having become a couple, were holding hands.
"If you want to sneak in, why not use my boyfriend's invisibility cloak?" Emira said, leaning on Warrick's shoulder.
Luz gasped with excitement and looked at the bat-witch with stars in her eyes. "You have an invisibility cloak?!"
Warrick, blushing with embarrassment as his girlfriend kissed him on the cheek, reached into his magic book bag. "Yes, but it's not yet complete," he said, pulling out the same cloak he'd shown Emira when the new couple first met. "It'll only stay invisible for an hour before it needs to recharge."
Booker took the cloak and smiled at his friend. "Thank you, Warrick." He then turned to Luz and held his hand to her. "So…you coming?"
With a faint blush, Luz grabbed his hand and laced her fingers with his. "All the way." Leaning in, Luz kisses him on the cheek, making both freeze up.
"Uhh…" Booker blushed.
"Sorry, I got a little excited," Luz said, blushing. Shaking her head, Luz refused on the mission."Eda's done so much for us. It's time we returned the favor."
With their shared goal, the two made their way to the carriage. Booker quickly slipped on the cloak, turning himself invisible.
After all of the students going on the trip boarded the bus, it let out a mighty roar and started flapping its wings. Once it took off, it lifted into the air.